In The Light Of Dawn
by Live.N.Love
Summary: Gabriella's daughter is special, unique to all others, and love graced her years ago. Troy is a pro-baller for the New York Knicks, whose family history has kept him from love. When they meet and love begins, Can they let go of the past for this new love?
1. Trailer

She was young with a small child

_Shows Gabriella holding a small brown haired girl's hand_

He was a young pro basketball player

_Shows Troy fiercely dribbling down the court_

Her daughter was different

_Shows Lilly talking to thin air_

They meet in an unexpected way

_Shows Troy running out of a burning building, holding Lilly lifeless in his arms_

Will love bloom?

_Shows Troy and Gabriella leaning in_

Or will it all be too much to handle?

" _Gabi, why can't you leave it alone?"_

"_Because everyone needs family!"_

"_Not family like him!"_

**STARRING-**

**Zac Efron as Troy Bolton**

_Shows Troy smiling_

**Vanessa Anne Hudgens as Gabriella Montez**

_Shows Gabriella rolling rose petals _

**Monique Coleman as Taylor McKessie**

_Shows Taylor wiping her hands on a towel_

**Ashley Tisdale as Sharpay Evans**

_Shows Sharpay picking flowers_

**Corbin Bleu as Chad Danforth**

_Shows Chad dribbling the ball_

**Lucas Grabeel as Ryan Evans**

_Shows Ryan yelling at team_

**Bart Johnson as Jack Bolton**

_Shows Jack looking out prison window_

**Leslie Wing as Lucille Bolton**

_Shows Lucille crying_

**Gena Rowlands as Katie Montez**

_Shows Katie making bouquets_

**In The Light Of Dawn**

**Coming Soon!**


	2. In The Beginning

God works in weird ways, that's what we often here, but when God gifts a child with a gift, why don't we want to accept it? Is it so scary to think he works with people near us? Not many are keen to accept that fact, however real it may be. Let's begin….

The story here begins in the city of Albuquerque, New Mexico, in the quiet end of the city. Crime was never a large factor nor was anything bad likely to happen in this area. Neighbors were friendly, greeting each other in the mornings before work or keeping the kids next door for the afternoon, the neighborhood was really like a big family.

On the corner of the block is where dear Gabriella Montez and little Lilly Montez, Gabi's daughter, took up residence. Next door was Gabriella's grandmother, Katie Montez, who owned a small flower shop, Serenity, downtown. Gabi worked as manager of Serenity as her friends Taylor McKessie and Sharpay Evans worked as florists.

Lilly was in the 1st grade and loved to play basketball like her father. Her father was named Anthony Montez, which had been Gabriella's husband, before he died in a car accident on the way to the NBA Finals. He had been star player for the Lakers and his death was greeted with extreme sadness and financial help from the world. In total, over 1 million dollars was given to Gabriella and Lilly, where they in turn, bought the house in Albuquerque and put the rest into savings.

Lilly started talking to the air when she was five years old, and since then, Gabriella has been trying to convince her daughter that NO ONE is there. Lilly doesn't believe any of it and stands by what she thinks that she's talking to angels. In her short life, she has saved three people from death. So, it goes without saying, that Gabriella is starting to believe her, slowly but surely.

So now, Let the day begin………

"Lilly, Sweetie, come on! It's time to leave for school!" Gabi called to her 7 year old daughter.

"I'm coming Mommy!" The small brown-eyed girl flew down the hall with her purple backpack securely against her frame. Wearing a yellow shirt and blue jeans with small Ugg boots, she was ready for the first day of 1st grade.

"Are you excited about school?" Her mother asked her as they walked to the door.

"Yes ma'am, Tina and Kelli are both going to be there, aren't they??" She worried, squeezing her mother's hand.

"Of course they will. It's their first day too! Make sure that you do EXACTLY what the teacher says, OK?"

The small tan girl nodded her head vigorously. They had reached the bus stop, where the bus was pulling up. Gabriella handed Lilly her lunch and gave her a hug and a kiss.

"I love you Lil. Be good!" Gabi was choking up.

"I love you, too. Bye Mommy!" Lilly called as she stepped on the bus.

Gabriella watched as the bus doors closed and it zoomed off, 'til it was nothing but a yellow speck.

**In New York**

The Knicks Gym was full of squeaks and bounces as the last practice before the season started began. Men in navy blue and orange uniforms passed the basketball among themselves, occasionally running through a new play or shooting a free throw.

In there midst was Troy Bolton, one of the few bachelors on the Knicks team, who was known for his good looks and charming smile, though you rarely saw him smile. His personality was very pleasant, but he NEVER dated. Not once in all his years of being in the NBA had he been on a date. Why was he afraid or did he just not find anyone he liked? The dark of his past may have been the reason for not dating, but no one knew. His father is, unknown to the press, currently in jail for almost killing his mother and himself. He had never been a violent man before that night, Troy would always recall in his thoughts, so why did he just go crazy that night?

"Troy! Over here!" The coach called to the brown-haired, blue eyed superstar.

He jogged over to where his coach was standing, basketball in hand, "Yeah Coach?"

" Just got a message from the front desk, your manager called and said you need to leave for the airport in a hour, so I'm letting you out early. I expect you to be early for our game against the Lakers though, is that clear?" Ryan Evans looked up to fake stare at Troy. Troy stared for a second then the pair burst into laughter.

"So, what is it Ryan? Another photo shoot or something?" Troy smiled at his manager/ coach.

" No, you and Chad are heading down to New Mexico for a few days. He wanted to see his folks and figured you'd like to see your mom and sister." Ryan replied.

"Oh," He hesitated, "well I'll shower and head out." He ran to the showers.

"Have Fun!" He called

And never knew what fun Troy would be running into.

**In New Mexico**

Troy and Chad both stepped off the plane, stretching and yawning.

"Man, I got like 5 hours of sleep!" Chad exclaimed to his friend.  
"Yeah, you slept ON me!" He laughed and playfully pushed his friend.

"Who's picking us anyways?" Chad asked, looking around.

"You don't think…"

"Maybe"

" TROY! CHAD!"

They pair looked at each other, and stated one name, "Sharpay."

Decked out in a pink shirt and black skirt, came Sharpay Evans, Ryan's twin sister. Although, unknown to the two basketball players Sharpay had really mellowed down since they knew her in college, but her love of pink never died.

"Hey boys! Do you have all your luggage?" She asked kindly.

The look of extreme surprise could have won many funny awards, had paparazzi been near.

"Yeah, we're good." Troy finally spit out, after a few silent moments.  
"Ok, let's go then. We are going to stop by and pick up my little niece first though."

"I didn't know Ryan had kids?" Chad questioned.

"Oh no, She's my friends daughter but I CALL her my niece. Her mother and I are like sisters practically." She explained as they drove out into the rode.

"Oh, does she like basketball?" Troy asked, he couldn't help himself, he loved kids.

" Oh yeah, she loves it! Actually you're her favorite Troy, now that I think about it." Sharpay smiled back at him through her mirror, "Don't freak out if she screams!"

He laughed warm-hearted, "I won't. I'll just have to play her and see if she's any good."

The rest of the ride to the school was silent, other than the soft hum of the radio. Finally arriving Sharpay stepped out, "I'll be back." Several minutes later, she returned with a brown-haired, brown eyed Lilly Montez. Lilly opened the door and sat down in the backseat, right beside Troy.

"So Aunt Sharpie, who…" She trailed off as her eyes grew large. "Troy Bolton."

"That's me! What's your name?" He questioned softly.

"Lilly, and I'm like your BIGGEST fan! I promise!!" She smiled and gave him a big hug and then said the strangest thing. "She says she loves you and always will. It wasn't your fault. Let her go."

He whipped back to look at Lilly, "What are you talking about?"

"Lana, she say's that you need to let her go." Lilly looked deeply into his eyes.

"How…" Troy trailed off and looked out the window to keep the tears up.

"Lilly, that's enough!" Sharpay called, worried, from the front seat.

"Auntie.." She wined.

"No Lilly!"

"Fine…"She huffed and looked back at Troy, who was intently staring at the little girl who just understood his deepest secret and gave an answer. He couldn't understand what was going on, but he thought that she was sincere in her words, so he put his arm around her.

"It's ok. I believe you." He whispered in her ear.

She smiled at him, "Really?" Thank-you!"

He hugged her and they sat they way 'til they heard a shriek out of Sharpay and turned to see a large house on fire.

"Oh No! Mommy!"


	3. The Hero

**Thanks for the reviews! I'm glad everyone likes the new story, so here's the next chapter. DON'T FORGET TO REVIEW!!**

**Disclaimer: I would not be on Fan Fiction if I owned HSM….**

Sharpay frantically dialed 911 as Troy, Chad and Lilly stepped out of the car. The grown men were in such great dismay of the sight in front of them, they didn't even notice when Lilly frantically ran into the burning building.

"Man, what should we do?" Chad asked, with such emotion, Troy looked over at his friend.

"Pray and look after Lilly while everything is happening. It could be devastating if her mom lost her and her home in one day." Troy stated and looked around for Lilly.

"Where is she?" Chad asked, glancing around.

"In there. She probably ran in there looking for her mom." Troy stated and just in that moment heard a small, helpless cry of a child. Troy knew it was her and ran into the flames of the burning building.

Unsure of what to do, Chad made his way over to Sharpay, who was now standing with a short African American woman, with shiny black hair.

"Are the firemen on their way?" Chad asked to the two women.

"Yes, where is Lilly? Gabriella is on her way home now." Sharpay questioned, glancing around.

He nervously bounced from foot-to-foot, "Well…"

"She didn't Chad. NO!!" Sharpay collapsed into Taylor's arms, crying uncontrollably.

"Where is Troy? Did he go in after her?" Taylor asked looking at Chad.

He nodded his head, "I know this is not the right time, but who are you?"

"Taylor McKessie, I'm a friend of Gabriella's and was just on my way when Sharpay called me. I sometimes baby-sit Lilly after Sharpay drops her off, if Gabi has to work late, and you are?"

"Chad Danforth, I'm a friend of Ryan and Sharpay's. She was taking me to my parents and then Troy to his mom's. I play in the NBA for the New York Knicks."

She nodded and turned her attention to Sharpay, who was still clinging to Taylor.

At that moment, a silver Nissan Murano pulled up in the street and a small, olive skinned woman with black, curly hair hopped out and ran over to her friends.

Tears began to form, "How did this happen? Where's Lilly?" Gabriella cried as she looked from face to face. As if called, Troy ran out of the building with a tiny figure over his shoulder, and ran to where his friends were just as the firemen and ambulances began to show up. He slowly handed Lilly over to Gabriella who took her daughter over to the awaiting medics.

Several Hours Later……

After the flames were put out and every account recorded, the group of Gabriella, Lilly, Sharpay, Taylor, Chad and Troy all went to Sharpay's to shower and freshen up. Everyone was feeling slightly better as they sat down to be formally introduced.

"So, Girls, this is Troy Bolton and Chad Danforth. They both went to college with Ryan and me, so we go way back." Sharpay smiled at her friends. "Boys, this is Gabriella Montez and Taylor McKessie, my best friends since Kindergarten. They both went to college at USC, which would explain why you never met either of them."

Everyone exchanged polite hellos and Lilly yawned loudly.

"It's bedtime." Gabriella smiled softly at her daughter, who sat looking glumly at her mom.

"Do I have to? I mean, its TROY BOLTON Mommy!" She looked over at Troy for help.

"Sorry sweetheart, you need to get your beauty rest. I promise we'll hang out some more, OK?" He gave her a large smile and she nodded softly.  
"OK. Goodnight Auntie Sharpie, Auntie Tay. Goodnight Mr. Chad and Mr. Troy." She hugged everyone as Gabriella followed her up the stairs.

"Will they stay here with you Shar?" Tay asked softly. "I'd keep them, but you know I have no room."

"Of course they will! I'm not putting her out on the streets. I'm going to call Dad tomorrow and see how quick he can get the house built. They still have some of that donation money, so they can get new things. I'll help with that too, I mean, Dad will give me money for that!" She exclaimed and looked around at everyone.

"We can leave whenever you want, you know that right? I feel like we are imposing greatly, you all are so close and we are just outsiders." Troy stated and looked between the two women.

"No stay for a little while longer. Your not imposing, we just have to figure this out, because Gabi has never taken charity well. After Anthony died, she just seemed to think she didn't need anyone to help her, so it's tough." Taylor stated.

"Who's Anthony? Anthony Montez? THE Anthony Montez??" Chad pried.

"Yes, Anthony Montez was Gabriella's first and only husband." Tay stated.

"Oh…I'm sorry. I didn't mean to sound obnoxious, but he's a legend in basketball." Chad said apologetic.

At that moment, Gabriella walked in and looked to Troy, "Troy, do you think you could come in the kitchen?" Her sad eyes were all the urging Troy needed to hop straight up and head to the kitchen.

"I just wanted to thank you soo very much for saving my little Lilly. She's all I have to live for these days and without her I don't know what I would do, so thank you." Gabriella pulled Troy into a loving hug, full of her gratitude. Once they pulled away, Troy made a decision.

"Gabriella, would you like to come to my game next week? I would pay for everything, and you and Lilly would get VIP treatment. I know it would mean the world to me and her." He stared straight into her eyes, searching for some ray of hope or happiness.

She nodded her head, "Well, that would be nice…" She trailed off thinking hard.

"Please?" He slightly begged.

"OK." She smiled slightly. "Taylor and Sharpay have to come to though."

He smiled slightly, "It's a deal." They laughed as they shook hands.


	4. Uncles

Sorry for the wait

Sorry for the wait! Here's Chapter 3 and I'll work on some more chapters for my other stories…

Disclaimer: I'd be in a foreign country if I owned HSM, not at my house….

Ch.3-

Sharpay, Taylor, Lilly and Gabriella all stepped off the plane, stretching and yawning from the long flight. Troy had done just as he promised and gotten tickets for all of them to come see him play in New York.

It had been just a week since Gabriella and Lilly's house had succumbed to the burning flames, which was later blamed on bad electrical work. The construction company was working day and night to have the girls a home in the next few months, much to their satisfaction.

"Sharpay! Over here!" A blonde man, Ryan, her brother was waving them down. They rolled their luggage over to him.

"Hey Ryan! How are you?" They shared a hug. "This is Taylor, Gabriella and Lilly." He smiled at the others and they proceeded out to his SUV.

" You drive this? How can you do that to the planet? Its putting unneeded greenhouse gases into the ozone!" Taylor screeched. She was known for her love of the environment, you could almost say her best friend besides Gabi and Sharpay was Mother Nature.

"Umm…it's not mine. It's the company's, so I had no choice. I wouldn't have chosen it either if I had the luxury." Ryan called back smoothly and popped the trunk.

"Good answer" Gabriella whispered to him and lifted her suitcase inside.

"Do you like my suitcase Mr. Ryan? It's a Knicks bag!" She held it up and he took it from her.

"Number 23, are you a Troy fan?"

"Yes sir!"

"Well, good choice!!" He smiled and set it down.

They all jumped into the truck and drove until they reached a large white house.

"Where are we staying anyways?" Taylor asked.

"Troy's. He insisted, because he wanted to be able to play with Lilly. Seems like he's your fan too Lilly!" Ryan looked at the mini-Gabi through his mirror.

"Well, he can see me at my play in April and I have a basketball game next week! Can he come Mommy?" She turned her big brown eyes to her mother.

"We'll see." She smiled a motherly smile and they all got out of the vehicle.

Dressed in a Knicks sweat suit, Troy eagerly walked out of his home to greet his guests.

"Hey Girls! Welcome to Casa Troy!" He dramatically waved to the house, causing a giggle to erupt from Gabi. Tay and Shar just looked at him like he was an idiot.

Lilly got her bag and ran over to hug Troy, who scooped her up and gave her a big hug,

"So how's my favorite little girl doin'?" He smiled

"I have a loose tooth! Look" She put a finger on one of her front teeth and wiggled it slightly.

"Wow! That's pretty exciting! You know what's more exciting?"

"What?"

"Tonight's game! DUH!" He rolled his eyes as she laughed. The women just smiled on the sweet sight unrolling in front of them.

Everyone walked inside as Troy gave each of them a guest bedroom, with Lilly and Gabi staying together.

"So, it looks like Troy really likes Lilly, its sweet." Sharpay suggested as she walked into Gabi's room. Lilly had gone with Tay to go buy some shoes, since she forgot her tennis shoes.

"Yeah, he's a doll with her. I'm so amazed that he took this much interest in her."

"Me too. Gab, I do need to talk to you about something." Shar had a worried look on her face as she sat down on the bed, where Gab soon joined.

"What?"

"Lilly, she was talking like that again to Troy before the house burnt down. I told her to stop, but it's really starting to worry me." She grabbed her best friend's hand, in comfort.

"I have no idea what to do about it Shar. She keeps saying that she can see these…angels she says but what the hell am I suppose to do? Tell her angels don't exist? I know that they do, so how do I approach the topic?" She began to feel tears coming and hugged her friend.

What she didn't know is that on the other side of the door was a certain NBA basketball player and he now knew the Montez family secret.

"AND THE KNICKS WIN!" The announcer screamed into the microphone, as all the players and fans went wild! Gabi, Shar, Tay and Lilly were all screaming and hugging with everyone else. They practically ran to get inside the locker room and greet Troy and the team. The showed their passes to the guard and ran inside to see the team. Gabi ran up to Troy, who she had grown close to the past few days. He spun around and looked deep into her eyes and leaned down, kissing her cheek.

"You were amazing!" She smiled widely up at him.

"Thanks! I saw you screaming for me when I made that last free throw!" He returned the smile.

"You know that was for Chad!" She joked.

"That hurt…right here." He dramatically placed a hand over his heart.

" You should have been an actor not a basketball player!" She laughed as Lilly ran over to hug Troy's leg. He picked up the little girl, who had a huge smile on her face.

" We won! We won!" She screamed.

" I know! So who's your favorite player?" He asked

" You are Uncle Troy!" She yelled, surprising everyone.

"Uncle Troy?" Gabi mouthed behind Lilly to him.

He nodded his head and smiled, " So who's your favorite uncle?" He asked

" Uncle Chad, duh!" She smiled at him, "Just kidding! You are!!" Everyone laughed.

Chad and Ryan walked over to Troy as the girls went to congratulate the other players.

"Uncle Chad? Uncle Troy? What the hell has happened in 3 days?" Ryan asked his players and friends.

" She's a sweet girl and we decided since she called Taylor and Sharpay 'aunt' she could call us 'uncle'." Troy stated.

" That girl can play some basketball too!" Chad stated and they all smiled at the little girl who was running over to see her other uncle.

"UNCLE CHAD!" She jumped up into his arms and gave him a big hug.

"How's my biggest fan doing?" He asked her with a million watt smile.

"Great! Mommy said that we can go for ice cream! Do you want to come? And Uncle Troy?" She looked between the two players.

They exchanged glances. Usually the team went for drinks as a celebration on a big win like tonight.

"We'll be there, don't worry." Troy stated and gave Chad a look not to change his statement.

"But first, your uncles have got to take some showers. We stink!" He fanned his nose for an effect.

"Ok, bye!" She kissed his cheek and hopped down. She held her arms to Troy, who squatted down to her level.

"Bye!" Lilly kissed his cheek as well and ran off to her mom.

Gabi left Lilly with Shar and Tay and walked back over to Ryan, since Troy and Chad had gone to shower.

"We thought we'd go down to that ice cream parlor near Troy's house. Can you tell him Ry?" She asked.

He hugged her, "Of course! See ya there!" He waved as she walked back over to the girls and they left.

"That's really sweet that they are letting her call them 'uncle'" Tay stated as they drove out of the parking lot from the ice cream parlor. They had just finished a very enjoyable treat of chocolate sundaes, so now we driving back to Troy's.

"Troy's a big sweety, and he's very good with kids." Gabi replied

" I think someone likes him!" Shar stated in a sing-song voice from the backseat.

"Shar! I'm glad my child isn't here to listen to you! He's just becoming my really great friend and he's great with Lilly!" She countered

"Sure, but I bet in at least 5 years you'll be married!" Shar called.

"Sure!" Gabi huffed, but deep down, she was really hoping that Shar was right. Troy Bolton was the kindest man she had met in a long time and she was ready to settle down again. Lilly needed a father and Gabi herself needed a man to love her again. All in good time, she thought, all in time.


	5. NY Hero

Here's the 4th chapter

Here's the 4th chapter! I accidentally lost my notebook with all my chapters for 'Ace Triple Threat Gang' so I'll try to update when I find it!

Disclaimer: Yea and I have 5 mansions, party at my place!

Ch.4- NY Hero

Troy yawned and stretched as he went to lie down in his feather soft bed. The win and dessert afterwards with Gabi and everyone had fully worn him down, but even as his head fell to the pillow, he couldn't help but think about what he had overheard the other day. Lilly thought she could talk to angels, which explained why she had known about Lana, but she couldn't have known about his darkened past unless it WAS possible for her to speak with angels.

What was a man to do? After all these years, was she trying to get him to not blame himself everyday? He sighed heavily and fell back into the pillows. He also had another conflict inside of him; he was growing VERY fond of Gabriella. In the past days, he had grown accustomed to the smell of coffee at 6 o'clock in the morning and a partner in his daily jog around the neighborhood, especially when he would jog backwards in front of her. She would plaster the sweetest smile on her face and make crazy faces at him until he would have to stop because he'd be laughing so hard! He shook his head, maybe he need someone?

**THE NEXT MORNING **Gabi was sitting on a bar stool in white sweatpants, a red tank top and her NIKE Shocks, sipping her coffee and reading the daily paper. Just as she finished an article about her favorite basketball player, he walked out in a pair of basketball shorts and NIKE Air Zoom Katana Cage III 's. His washboard abs first thing in the morning quickly woke Gabi ENTIRELY.

"How's my favorite running buddy this morning?" He asked walking up and leaning against the bar.

"I'm just fine. I've been reading about the BEST basketball player!" Gabi smiled, giggling at Troy's face.

"Who COULD that be?" He questioned, putting a finger to his chin, before he stole the article and quickly scanned it.

**HERO BRINGS THE KNICKS ANOTHER VICTORY!**

_Troy Bolton and the New York Knicks won their game last night by a landslide! With 100 free throw average and 87 of his shots made it in the basket, Bolton was on fire last night! He has recently returned from visiting family, where he saved a young girl from a burning building! The mother, young girl and some friends were seen last night at the game, and after the game had passes to get into the locker room. Julia Roberts tried to get some locker room passes for her husband, but was denied saying only 4 were being given out and had already been taken! Our NY hero must love the sparkling mother-daughter duo! _

Troy finished the article, wide-eyed and unsure of what to say. He didn't want to hurt Gabi's feelings, but he also didn't want to freak her out with the L word. He carefully folded the newspaper and set in back down.

"You ready to go, NY Hero?" Gabi giggled, rising from her seat.

"Ha-ha…so funny!" He replied with a great amount of sarcasm. They both pounced at the door, full of energy.

They made their way down the street in silence before a burning question couldn't be left alone any longer.

"Troy?" She glanced over at the sweat droplets falling from his cheeks to the way his arms came up and down in a perfect rhythm.

"Yeah?" He recognized

"What made you do it? Save Lilly, I mean." She was really worried about his answer, what would he think of her?

He was so shocked, he dead-stopped in the middle of the sidewalk.

He gave her the most outrageous look, "Why? I was scared she would die! Gabi, I had no clue who she was except someone in need. No one even knows what her name was because I WOULDN'T tell them! Look at me." In the middle of his speech, she had dropped her head. When he spoke the command, she immediately looked him in the eye, where he saw soft tears falling. He sweetly wiped them from her cheeks and brought her in close to him, where he could smell her jasmine shampoo and she could smell his aftershave mixed with his warm body heat. "Listen Gabi, I didn't save your daughter because she was Anthony Montez's daughter, or because I thought it would help my career. I just wanted to save someone's little girl, when I couldn't even save my own." Tears fell freely from Gabi's eyes as she looked up and stared at the man who had openly let her into his life in a couple of weeks. She pulled him tighter to her as she felt something fall on her head, which is when Troy was crying was well.

Silently, Troy pulled away from Gabi, grabbed her hand and began to walk home. After arriving safely inside his privacy fence, they walked around out back to a two-seater tan outdoor porch swing and took a seat. Troy put his arm around Gabi, pulling her into his side.

"I'm guessing you won't tell me what happened." She started sadly. He was mute so she continued. "I may not know exactly how you feel, but I can relate slightly. I've lost my husband and an unborn child before. You see, when Anthony was on the way to the finals, I had just found out that I was pregnant again. With all the stress and overload of a 1 and a half year old and my husband's death, I lost my child. It killed me for weeks and at one time, I considered suicide. So, Troy, you may not want to talk to me now, but when you do, I'll be here." She slowly rose and began to walk inside when….

"Is it really angels? Can she really talk to them?" He called out to her, with a look of desperation.

"Yes, she's a very gifted child. She says she's talked with Lana, so you might want to talk with her. She's also a lifesaver." With that, Gabi walked fully inside the house for another cup of coffee.

"I bet." He called softly, even if no one could hear him.

**THAT NIGHT **all the girls walked in from a long day of shopping, which resulted in multitudes of rainbow-colored bags and lots of new stuff for Lilly to look at. Since nearly everything that Gabi and Lilly owned was burnt, she had spent plenty of money to re-stock their wardrobes. Troy had been their bag man, much to his dismay and agony. He unloaded the last couple of bags onto the table and fell down on the couch, making the girls laugh.

"Have fun Troy?" Tay called, receiving only a grunt from him.

"You know you loved telling us how everything looked." Shar waved a bag of potato chips in front of his face, which he snatched and popped open.

"Well, I think his favorite part was telling me if my lingerie looked good. Am I right?" Gabi called from the kitchen.

"Oh yea!" Troy yelled and everyone laughed.

Just seconds later, Lilly came tumbling into Troy's lap with a Knicks jersey with number 23 and 'LiL Bolton' written on the back.

"Thanks so much Uncle Troy! I love it!!" She gave him an extremely large and grateful hug, before running off to show her mom and aunts.

He smiled to himself and flipped on the TV, right to CNN, which was covering an interesting story.

The bald man began, "_In Central New Mexico, a prison has had several inmates escape. Among the ranks of many murderers, was Jack Bolton, well-known child molester, rapist and murderer. The group of 3 men are known to be heading for the Canadian Border and are suspected to be in New York. If seen please call 9-1-1 or your local police office." _

Troy wasn't sure if he was going crazy, his dad escaped from prison? How could this happen? Just when he thought that slime bag was gone for good, he has to make an ugly appearance. Thank Goodness no one knew that was his father, even on his birth certificate, his dad is listed as his uncle Freddy Bolton. His dad was so awful when he was born, his mom hadn't wanted anyone to think that Jack was his dad.

"Troy, the pizza is here!" Shar yelled from the kitchen. He shook his head, trying to rid his brain of all thoughts of his dad.

Maybe he should take Gabi up on that offer of talking after all……


	6. Late Night Visit

Ch.5- Late Night Visit

**Late that night, **the wind howled mercilessly as Gabi bore holes into the ceiling above her bed. The tree limbs knocked against the window at a scary decibel, turning her stomach with each scratch and slap. Her daughter lay only feet away, safely cuddling her new bear from Taylor, Nicky.

Gabi lay thinking about how different she was compared to when Tony had first died. She had cried every night, missing his warmth or the light snore that he always seemed to put off. She hadn't thought she would live very much longer, considering death and many alternatives to take away the pain she was living through each day. That's when her grandmother, Katie Montez, stepped in. She began making her work at Serenity, her flower shop that she had been running since Gabi was a child. Katie wasn't her actual grandmother, unknown by most people, she was Tony's aunt who had been raising her since her parents died at the tender age of 6. She had been the one to introduce Tony and Gabi.

Gabi had loved Tony. Oh…how she had loved him. They were high school sweethearts ever since his Aunt Katie was being "stupid and completely crazy" about him 'accidentally' driving over a curb, into a trashcan and into the side of her flower shop. Gabi was there the day it happened and had watched Katie scold the young man with jet black hair and warm brown eyes. Katie called for Gabi to help Anthony clean us his "idiotic mess" before flouncing in her usual style to help a customer. They both laughed until they thought they would collapse and began talking again, ending with him asking her on a date.

Five years later, they got married. In this time span, Gabi had met and befriended Taylor and Sharpay, who were her bridesmaids along with her cousin, Anna, the maid of honor. She could still remember gliding down the aisle, steadily watching Tony's eyes that were filled with a love and devotion, something she had always seen through-out their marriage.

Knowing she wouldn't be falling asleep anytime soon, she silently threw her quilt back and tip-toed out into the hallway, careful not to wake up Lilly. Swiftly, she made her way down the hall into a pitch-black bedroom. The red, black and white striped comforter was in a jumbled mess, however she could make out a large lump in the linen mess. Like a mouse, she eased her way to the far side of the bed, just to witness Troy roll over, facing her. His jaw was set in a small smile, his lips curved upwards in that boyish grin Gab loved soo much. A clap of lightning boomed outside, making Gabi quickly jump in the bed next to Troy. The basketball player rustled awake and looked over at her.

"What's the matter?" His tone was groggy, but concerned. He sat up and scooted over where she had plenty of room to move about.

She took a slight inhale and replied, "I can't sleep during thunderstorms. My parents were killed…" She paused, beginning to cry, "..driving through a thunderstorm. They lost control of their car and swerved into the other lane. They were killed instantly." Her crying began to increase, causing her to shake and crumble, head in hand.

Troy pulled her into his lap, gently patting her hair and rocking up and down.

He felt her reliving this memory, felt her heart breaking…piece by piece.

Suddenly, she began telling him information from her life, " I was born and raised in Albuquerque. My birthday is August 13th , I'm 29 years old. I live in the outskirts of Albuquerque with my daughter, Lilly, and right next door to Katie Montez, my grandmother. My parents were both killed in a car crash and my former husband died in a car crash on his way to the NBA Finals. My grandmother owns Serenity, a flower shop, where I'm manager and my two best friends, Taylor and Sharpay, are florists. I believe in love at first sight, which may have happened with you." She looked him dead in the eye when she finished her speech.

"I was born and raised in Albuquerque as well. I just turned 30 and my birthday is April 24th. My mom and dad had me and my sister. My dad tried to kill me and my mom when my mom was still pregnant with Allie, my sister. The only reason I'm alive today is because my grandparent's were stopping by with some supper. I still have a scar on my leg from where he cut me with a knife. Years later, after I was grown, he was out on parole and found me at the park. I was a single father, Lana's mother had run out on us soon after she was born, so I was the only one there to watch her. She had just started walking and I had been pushing her on the swings when he came up and tried to apologize. I was soo furious I lost sight of Lana, long enough for her to wander into the street. A car hit her, breaking her neck. She was killed instantly." He stopped, unable to speak anymore because of the large lump and heavy tears in his eyes. Gabi hugged him, as he cried on her shoulder. Neither spoke, long after his tears stopped, long after her shirt dried, long after their thoughts wandered to each other.

"I think you're the girl for me, Gabi, and I'm promise to prove it to you." His voice was strong, yet tender.

"Promise me you won't leave. Promise me that even if we can't make it, you'll be there for my baby."

"I will." He slowly put a hand to her cheek and leaned down, kissing her with the fire and soul he felt in the pit of his stomach. They eventually pulled back, falling asleep in each others embrace.

**TWO DAYS LATER…. **

The airport was overflowing and jam-packed with people and vehicles alike, as Shar, Tay, Gabi, Lilly, Chad, Ryan, and Troy all arrived in Ryan's large company vehicle. The girls were now being forced to return to Albuquerque, after their relaxing vacation in New York. Thankfully, Lilly's school had been out of session for a teacher conference the entire week.

Everyone sat stationary for a few moments, not ready to say goodbye at all. Lilly was taking it extremely hard, tears slowly forming in her eyes before they even stepped out of the vehicle. With her teary eyes, she gazed over at Troy and Chad,

"You'll come see me soon, right?"

Chad motioned her over into his lap, so she crawled over and snuggled up close to him.

"Your Uncle Troy and I promise that we will come see you the moment we have any spare time. You have to promise to be a really good girl though, alright?" She nodded her head, before hugging him and climbing into Troy's lap. She snuggled into him as he placed an arm around her.

"I love you, Uncle Troy" The air was stiff.

"I love you too Lilly. Can I ask you a question before you go?" He looked down at the fragile little girl.

She nodded her head, intently staring at him with big brown teddy bear eyes, just like her mom.

"Is Lana okay in heaven?" He whispered.

"She's fine. She says that she will always love you, but that you can move on. She's happy for you."

He nodded and smiled slightly. _Angels_, he thought, _that's a blessing_.

Everyone began to shuffle out of the car, pulling out all the luggage , trying to busy themselves so they wouldn't have to think of the goodbyes.

Now, most ordinary people wouldn't consider a week enough time to bond like all these people had done. They loved being with each other and hated the thought of this…separation.

Shar grabbed her bag and hugged each one of the guys, stopping to say some kind words to her brother, before she headed for the airport entrance.

Tay threw her bag over her shoulder, and hugged all the men. She lingered at Chad, who was now her boyfriend, so they shared some kisses and Tay started shedding tears as she began to head for the entrance as well.

Lilly's small bag easily fell to her knees from it's position on her shoulder, so she dropped it and got each man to pick her up and give her a big bear hug. She, then, made her way over where her aunts were standing, tears falling down her face.

Gabi was last, slowly rolling her suitcase behind her as she made her way to each man. The first two like new brothers, and then came Troy.

"I'll miss you." She gazed up with sad eyes.

"You'll be with me wherever I go…right here." He placed her hand over his heart. "I'll be right there, so you won't ever get lonely." He put his hand over her heart.

"I love you, Troy Bolton." Tears began to fall.

"I love you too, Gabriella Montez." They kissed several times, before embracing a final time, pouring their love into the final embrace, before she joined the others on her way back far away from where Troy's desired place for her was.

Right by his side.


	7. Good Times, Here and Tomorrow

_**Thanks for all the reviews everyone! I love reading them and I'm especially glad you like the story. I know everyone wants Troyella to be together ASAP…so do I! BUT..I've got to let the story flow…so you'll just have to keep reading and see what happens. This chapter has some Lilly-Sharpay bonding . I hope I show how close they are…I'm also introducing Katie into the story, and for those of you who can't picture her…check out the trailer again and Google the actress I made her.I just realized Troy's not in here any other than by mention, He'll be in here plenty next chapter! Thanks and keep reviewing!!**_

**Disclaimer: Oh yeah, I also own Hawaii…Jamaica.. The White House..****J**

**Ch.6-Good Times, Here and Tomorrow**

**TWO MONTHS LATER**, it seemed came too soon. The only way Gabi and Troy had been in contact was through e-mails and the telephone. Each night, they called one another. Sometimes Troy would call early to talk with Lilly, others it was late into the night, when he could swoon Gabi with love-filled poems her wrote for her or just telling her about his day. Gabi would always tell him how Lilly was doing in school and at basketball, or just listen to his husky voice tell her he loved her. Gabriella and Lilly were still staying at Sharpay's due to a delay in building. The two-story white house was almost complete, but unknown to Gabi and Lilly, some of the delay was due to Shar hiring a interior designer to fix the house up, with high-tech electronics to marble counters and even putting a scrupulous pool and Jacuzzi in the backyard.

Chad and Taylor had been frequently talking during her lunch break and at night, whether it be by the phone or their latest discovery, webcam. Gabi and Shar didn't know that she was traveling home to use her webcam, and she had avoided telling her friends what they were doing, because knowing them, they would make quite a commotion about it.

Since their first game in the end of September, the boys had had six more games, five wins and one loss. With Thanksgiving approaching in the following week, they would soon find out where they would be playing, and the entire team was crossing their fingers for a game time not too close to Thanksgiving day.

It was late into the Friday before school let out for Thanksgiving when Gabi called Shar, who had the day off, to pick up Lilly from school. She was overflowing with Thanksgiving bouquets to arrange and would be staying to work late. So, Shar raced over to the school and sat in her car to wait, when her cell rang.

"Hello" She answered.

"Hey Shar, it's Ryan"

"Hey Bro! What's going on?" She glanced around when she saw her clock ease onto 3 o'clock.

"I actually need a favor from you." He replied, and she heard basketballs in the background.

"I'll try to help. What do you need me to do?"

Ryan then began to explain what he wanted her to do for him, and her grin grew wider with each syllable he uttered. When he finished, she quickly agreed and saw Lilly aimless walking around in the thinning crowd of students, so she hung up with Ryan and went over to the mini-Gabriella.

"Hey Lil, you want to go eat some ice cream and run some errands with me?" Shar questioned, squatting down to the little girl's eye level.

"Okay! What errands do we have to do?" She questioned as they made their way back into Shar's new Jeep Wrangler.

"We have to buy some food for Thanksgiving dinner and we also have to pick up some grown-up drinks." Sharpay pulled out into the main road, heading for downtown.

**THE DOUBLE DUO** arrived in the supermarket parking lot, armed with credit cards and ice cream cones. The greeter by the entrance shot them a look as they walked in, but Shar gave her a cold glare that quickly sent the greeter back to her post. They pulled a shopping cart out of the row and Lilly hopped inside.

They started their shopping mission in the fresh produce section and the race was soon on. Shar ran up and down the aisles grabbing everything she would ever need to make a warm and welcoming Thanksgiving dinner. She noticed a brand-new Barbie doll with her own house, accessories and all as they passed the toy section. She smiled and plopped it down in the cart.

"Aunty, whose that for?" She queried, licking her chocolate scoop of ice cream.

"This little girl with ice cream on her nose!" Shar squealed as she dabbed her vanilla ice cream on Lilly's nose.

"AH! Aunt Sharpie!" She stood up and plopped Sharpay's nose in her chocolate mess, making Shar burst with laughter.

"Lilly! I'm going to tickle you!!" She used her free hand to tickle her nieces sides, making her squeal with delight and giggles. She was holding hard to her ice cream when Sharpay stopped.

"I've still got my ice cream!" She taunted as she took a big bite out of it, leaning forward to rub it in Shar's face that she still had her ice cream.

Sharpay laughed and took a bite out of Lilly's ice cream, "Yours is pretty good!"

They both laughed because the ice cream thief had gotten the chocolate ice cream all over her mouth.

"You sure are messy!" Lilly exclaimed as they rode towards the checkout.

"So are you!" She pointed out the dripped chocolate all down the front of Lil's shirt.

The cashier made a strange face at the two girls eating ice cream in the end of November, practically wearing the creamy goodness. Shar took no notice and happily paid for her groceries, leaving a vanilla trail in front of the greeter, before smiling sickly sweet, taking Lilly's hand and leaving the store.

**10 O'CLOCK **that night, Tay, Shar and Gabi all sat next to Shar's fireplace, drinking hot coco.

"So girls, I have two exciting bit of news." Sharpay announced, sipping her warm drink.

"Don't hold us in suspense here girl!" Tay exclaimed.

"Well…I got a call from Ryan today. They just announced that the Knicks will play the Suns over in Phoenix, and we have tickets and locker room passes!" Tay and Gab began to squeal and hug each other.

"Oh that's such GREAT news!" Gab's face shone as she spoke.

"You two can't tell Troy or Chad though, you have to act completely upset because you couldn't get off of work." Shar explained.

"Oh…but it will be so fun to see their faces when we run into the locker room." Tay gazed into the fire, imagining Chad and her re-uniting.

"Lilly's going to have a fit!" Gab thought aloud, sipping her drink.

"Why don't you surprise her too?" Tay asked, looking over to Gab.

"Good idea Tay! You know her birthday's next Wednesday, when's the game?" Gab directed the question at Shar.

She thought for a moment before breaking out into a smile, "Next Wednesday."

"The perfect gift!" The three girls exclaimed, overly excited at the prospect of seeing more of the people that matter to them.

**SATURDAY MORNING, **The songbirds were singing by 8 o'clock, just as Katie Montez sat down on her porch swing. She would soon begin her daily work in her extensive flower garden, which she used to supply Serenity mainly. She ordered some of the strange or cross-breed flowers, but the rest came from her very own garden.

She usually sat for about an hour or so, sipping her coffee and enjoying the morning before Gab arrived at 10 to pick up flowers for the shop.

However, she soon heard a quiet rustle of the back gate and before her stood Gabi, decked out in blue jean overalls, a red and white shirt underneath, her hair in pigtails.

"Good Morning Abuelita, how are you?" She quickly made her way up the back steps, hugging her grandmother and taking a seat next to her.

"I'm doing wonderful my nieta, but what are you doing here so early?" Katie never was someone to beat around the bush.

"I just woke up and decided to get a head start on the day. I need to work as much as possible, but I do need to tell you something." Gab turned to her grandmother, making sure she had her full attention.

"I'm listening chica, what is it that you MUST tell me?" They both laughed before Gab explained.

"Next Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday, Tay, Shar and myself will not be coming in to work. Don't freak ok?" She saw Katie face taking different shades of color. "I'm calling in Anna, Laura and Wesley, so they all will be down at Serenity. So have no fear, Gabi's here!" They shared another laugh over her silliness.

They sat listening to the wind rustle the trees and the birds sing, Gab's mind drifting off to a blue-eyed NBA star. She was quickly brought out of her daze.

"How's Lilly? Is her school and basketball still going well?" Katie loved her little granddaughter, nearly as much as Gab did.

"Lilly's great. She's excited for the break though! She likes school, but is ready for a break all the same. I still can hardly believe how she's growing up so fast." The young woman smiled softly over at her abuelita.

"Children grow before our eyes and in a flash…they are grown, living life on their own. Your doing a great job Niña…I'm so proud of you. Each day, you amaze me more and more." Katie softly touched her cheek. "Ricky and Marie would be proud too. I knew them for many years and they would be overjoyed with what you have accomplished."

She gently nodded her head, thinking of the few memories left of her parents.

"So…what about this man Troy you've told me so much about? What's happening with him?" Katie was also a very nosey person, but Gabriella usually gave way to her insistent prying.

"He's doing marvelous. His basketball team is playing in Phoenix, so that's why Tay, Shar, Lilly and I are taking off."

"I see. Well…I hate to put any damper on your good spirits, but you need to be careful exposing Lilly to him. I know you love him, but if it doesn't work out, Lilly will be heartbroken, and you have to think of her." Gabi turned away as Katie stated this. "Don't be angry with me. I just want to see you all happy."

"I'm not angry, but I am scared. You've voiced my main concern, but I think Troy is a great and loving man, who will always be there."

"On one of his fan sites, they said he was voted 'Sexiest Man Alive', my nieta is a lucky woman apparently!" Her wrinkles increased, but she smiled wide and laughed loud at Gab's shocked face.

"You were looking him up on the internet?!"

"I have to make sure he's not some madman!" Katie smiled and the girls laughed.

"Well…let's pick some flowers for the shop because I need to head on over and open up." The two women stood up and eased their way over into the garden, but not before Katie bumped Gabi with her hip,

"You need some meat on your bones child! This Troy-toy needs something to hold onto!!" Katie grinned wickedly.

"ABUELITA!" She exclaimed, and Katie just walked into the garden laughing as Gab walked close behind shaking her head.


	8. Surprise

_Authors Note- Okay…so I need at least five reviews for this chapter before I put out another one! I only had two for the last chapter…so please review! _

_So.. this chapter is dedicated to those two reviewers…Lil-Evans and zanessa4ever719  
_

_**Disclaimer: Don't Own…Not Now, Not Ever**_

**Ch.7-** **Surprise**

**EARLY TUESDAY MORNING, **Shar, Lilly and Gabi stopped by Meadow Lane Apartments to pick up Tay, before they headed off to Phoenix, Arizona. The girls had decided to drive over instead of fly, since it was only an eight hour drive from Albuquerque.

In the back of the Jeep Wrangler was an overflowing supply of chilled soft drinks, junk food, pillows, blankets and everything else you could possible need for an amazing road trip.

Tay, dressed in a maroon jogging suit and Sketchers, bounded out towards the car, rolling a medium-sized suitcase and tightly clutching her over-sized Coach bag, courtesy of Sharpay. Shar popped the back door and they all waited as Tay loaded up.

"Hey Girls! Ready to get this party started?" Tay greeted, jumping in back with Lilly.

"Oh yeah! So, did you bring any jams?" Gabi happily exclaimed. All of them had decided to bring some CD's to help pass the time.

The car jolted forward as Taylor replied, "Girl…I brought some Beyonce, Alicia Keys and Maria Carey. How about you two?"

Sharpay was quick to speak up, " I brought the Dirty Dancing soundtrack, Grease soundtrack, and Chris Brown."

"I decided to bring along some Nelly Furtado, Avril Lavine, NYSNC and even some Celine Dion." Gab grabbed Tay's CD's and set them in her lap with the others

"So…which one first?"

**TROY AND CHAD **had just arrived in the Phoenix airport when Troy's phone went off.

He quickly flipped it open and the reminder he set long ago popped to life on the screen

_**Lilly's Birthday Tomorrow- 11-23**_

"Who was it?" Chad asked as they made their way to the awaiting limo. However, before he could answer, the boys walked into a crowd of paparazzi.

_Chad, whose the new lady?_

_**Troy, will you guys win tonight??**_

_**Troy, is it true you have a girlfriend?**_

_Chad, look over here!!_

The guys ducked and dodged until they stepped inside the limo and sped off.

Once they were on the main highway, Troy turned to Chad, "Tomorrow's Lilly's birthday, it was a reminder on my phone."

His mouth formed a 'O' shape, "Have you gotten her anything yet?"

"No! Man, this is NOT good!" Troy carelessly ran a hand through his chestnut hair, completely clueless at what to do.

"Why don't you just buy her something? We can stop by a boutique or something, she's turning 8...how hard can it be?" Chad suggested as he took advantage of the free food and beverages in back.

"What do I BUY though?" He had never been one to pick out the most wonderful gifts.

"Well…call Kels, she'll know what to get her. I mean…Holly's nearly 9 now." The curly-haired man took a long sip of Coke before easing back into his chair.

"Great idea!" Troy quickly whipped out his phone.

"You sound surprised." Chad scoffed, slightly insulted.

"That's because I AM!" Chad made a face when Troy said this.

"Whatever." Chad leaned back further, before searching for more food.

Troy found Kelsi, his old high school friend, in his phone directory.

Ring.

Ring..

Ring…

"Hello?" A fragile voice answered.

"Hey Kels, it's Troy. I need your help…"

"You're the one that I want! Oh, Oh, Oh!" The three adults in the vehicle belted out, while Lilly sat back and colored in her new Malibu Barbie coloring book.

The song ended and they all laughed and bounced around, even if they had been doing this for about…four hours, but whose counting?!

"Man…I SO wish I'd brought that new Mary-Kay catalog. They've got some new lipstick out that's like…cranberry mixed with plum. Like planberry!" Tay exclaimed then began giggling like a silly school girl.

"Hmm…planberry? I'll have to try some on!" Gabi giggled, "I'm a sucker for good lipstick!"

"Look!" Shar exclaimed, pointing towards the 'Welcome to Arizona' sign.

"Only four more hours now!" She exclaimed, extremely happy that the drive was almost over.

"Where are we staying anyways?" Gab questioned.

"Oh…at the…

"… Royal Palms Resort and Spa, Mr. Bolton and Mr. Danforth. We hope you enjoy your suites and have a pleasant time in Phoenix." The concierge handed over the room key's ,two for each suite. They muttered a quick 'thank-you' each, before speeding towards the elevator.

It was an inside game, who could be first to push the button to go up, that had been an ongoing war for two years now. Chad was first, so he quickly punched the up button and stood basking in glory when Troy walked up.

"Dude…you don't usually take that long? Where'd you go?" Chad asked.

"I stopped to look in the window of the gift shop. I'm going to buy my main gift, but I also plan to buy all the girls a little gift while I'm here." The door opened as Troy finished his explanation. Stepping inside, they pushed the 12th floor button and waited in a comfortable silence.

"So, are you and Gab serious? Like as in marriage serious?" Chad blurted out from nowhere, just as the elevator dinged and announced the 12th floor.

"Yeah, I've considered marriage…but I don't want to rush things. Tony may have died like 7 and a half years ago, but it's still a pretty fresh wound." Troy pulled out his card and slipped into the slot. Chad stepped inside with him, since their suites were joined by a single door.

"I understand man. You just make sure that you comprehend what your getting yourself into. Marriage is a big step and with it comes lots of responsibilities you may not be ready for." Chad seemed to space off as he gazed out the large bay window of Troy's room.

Troy clapped Chad on the back, "Thanks for being there man, I don't know what I'd do without you."

Chad smiled over at his best friend, "You too Troy, you too." He stood up and walked over to the door to his suite. "I'm going to settle in. Want to call all the guys in a bit and go out to eat?"

"Sounds great. I'll call up Zeke and Jason."

Chad just nodded before disappearing into his own room.

Lilly had just been listening to her mom and aunts sing along to songs she had never heard before off and on for about 6 hours now when the little girl appeared again, a white glow surrounding her body.

"Hi Lilly" She called and Lil looked up to greet her.

"Hey Lana, what are you doing here?" Lilly spoke softly because she didn't want the adults to notice her speaking at all.

"I wanted to see how my daddy was. You've told him everything I've told you right?" Her eyes were so sad, Lilly always thought, it broke her heart each time she saw them.

"Yeah, the things you've told me so far. That he should let you go, you love him…" She trailed off, glancing at Lana's small white wings behind her back.

"I have something else you need to tell him. I need you to tell him that I can't rest in peace and make it on to the big gates until he lets all the hate towards his dad and all the guilt towards himself go. He has to let it go to set me free." She slowly started to fade away.

"Do I say anything else?" Lilly hurriedly asked before she was gone.

"In the light of dawn…" She called before she was nothing but clear air.

"_In the light of dawn?" _She questioned in her mind. "_What does she mean?_"

"Lilly…we're about to stop for lunch. What would you like?" Her mother turned around in the seat to face her.

"I want a cheeseburger and French fries." She replied before beginning to color again, thoughts swirling around her small mind.

"Holly stole the ball, ran across court and scored the winning basket!" Jason finished the story of his little girl helping her team win the district semi-finals.

"That's awesome man! Brings back memories of our East High days, when Troy won that big championship game!" Zeke called across the table to his, now red-faced, friend and fellow player.

"Hey…Hey! Let's not re-live that story again! That's my uncles' favorite story to re-live when we have family reunions." Troy begged, taking another bite of his steak.

"Okay…why don't you tell the guys about your new girlfriend." Chad wiggled his eyebrows and flashed a big smile over at his best friend.

Troy swallowed, "You first. I'm still eating!" Troy quickly took another bite of food for example, chewing very noticeable.

"Fine... Her name's Taylor McKessie, she's a florist in Albuquerque. She's big into kids, she's always babysitting in her spare time. She's 27, 28 in May and love to just hang out. She's not a flashy kind of girl and her two best friend are Gabriella Montez, AKA Troy's girlfriend, and Sharpay Evans, whose very single." Chad wiggled his eyes at Zeke, who's face flushed as he looked down at his beer.

"Okay…since Chad has done his explaining, I'll do mine. Gabriella Montez is my new girlfriend. She's Anthony Montez's former wife, and has a daughter with him. As you know, he died 7 and a half years ago, so she's still dealing with that a little bit. She's the manager of her grandmothers flower shop, Serenity in downtown Albuquerque where Taylor and Sharpay both work as florists under her. Lilly's her 8 year old daughter and she loves to have fun and be happy. She overworks and doesn't think about herself enough. I think you guys will like her very much." Troy smiled a goofy, dazed smile before returning to his food.

Zeke leaned over to Chad, "We've lost him, haven't we?"

Chad smiled knowingly, "Oh yeah man…we lost him when she said 'hello'"

The two guys laughed, receiving weird looks from their friends.

"There it is!! Look!!" Sharpay squealed as they pulled up into the Royal Palms valet area. They stepped out, trying to recover the feeling in their bodies. A young bellboy quickly came to their service, loading up the trolley with their various bags before following them inside.

Sharpay went ahead of everyone to check in, when she saw Troy, Chad and some of the others in the hotel's restaurant, laughing at some sort of joke. She hurriedly made her way over to the concierge's desk, "Hi, my names Sharpay Evans and my brother, Ryan Evans made a reservation in my name."

The black-haired woman smiled and typed something in, "We have you down for two adjoined suites. Will that be manageable for you?"

Shar smiled back, "Wonderful. What level are we on?"

"Level 12. Here are the keycards. Your in room 1205 and 1207."

"Do I owe you anything?" She was already pulling out her MasterCard.

"No, I have a note saying that Mr. Evans will be paying for everything. Enjoy your stay at the Royal Palms Resort and Spa, Ms. Evans, and have a enjoyable stay in Phoenix." The concierge smiled again before turning back to her computer.

Shar gave the bellboy a ten-dollar bill, quickly pulled her hoodie on and walked past the restaurant. She glanced from side to side trying to find Gab, Tay and Lilly when she spotted them gazing around the gift shop. She quickened her pace, approaching Tay from behind.

"Girls, we've got to go to the room…like NOW!" The blonde whispered loudly.

"AHH!" Tay jumped a foot off the ground before turning back around. "Sharpay Michelle Evans! Don't scare me like that again." Tay wildly pointed in her direction.

"Sorry, but we've got to get a move on. The guys are in the restaurant and our secret surprise will be blown if we don't…." Shar trailed off when she saw the guys heading for the store. "HIDE! They will be in here in like 5 seconds!"

They all scrambled behind a large hat display. They had all, fortunately, been wearing hoodies, so they slipped them on top of their heads and put on different hats, pretending to try them on.

"Momma, what are we doing?" Lilly asked loudly.

"Shush!" Gab told her daughter quickly before squatting down. "We've gotta pretend we're not here to surprise your Uncle Troy tomorrow. He doesn't know we're here."

Lilly nodded in understanding before picking out a big sombrero and setting on her mom's head.

All of them giggled as quietly as possible, as Tay kept an eye on the guys as they made their way around the store. The moment they faced the opposite way from the girls, she signaled and they made their way out of the store, of course after putting back the hats they had been trying on.

Rushing like mad women, they wove their way through a large crowd of business people before entering the elevator. Shar pushed number 12, the doors closed and they all let out a breath of relief.

"We were SO like Charlie's Angels!" Tay exclaimed very excited.

"Yeah…I seriously thought they were going to see us. Especially with us all wearing hoodies and stuff." Gab leaned her head on the wall as she spoke.

"Oh and when SOMEONE screamed when I spoke." Shar looked over at her friend with an accusing glare.

"Like you wouldn't have done the SAME THING!" They all laughed as the elevator dinged open.

"Of course I wouldn't. I'm more held together than that." Shar stuck her head up high purposefully and stalked ahead of them.

Everyone just laughed and made their way to the suites.

"Welcome everyone! Here we are in beautiful Phoenix, Arizona, and both teams are warming up for a long awaited game. We've got the Suns VS. the Knicks…the heat is ON!" One of the announcers called out as the girls made their way to the court-side seats Ryan got them.

"Won't the guys know we're here?" Tay queried, carrying a container of nachos in one hand, a coke in the other.

"Ryan said there was no way they could see us, so I guess we have to trust him." Shar claimed, a popcorn bucket in her hand and a cherry slushie in the other.

"There's Troy and Chad!" Gab pointed with her head, since her hands were full with a tray covered in a M&M's package, a Hershey's bar, Skittles, and Dibs plus two strawberry slushies. Gab had let Lilly get all the candy she wanted, so she had forked over a little wad of money to satisfy her sweet tooth.

"Momma, can I say 'hi' to Uncle Troy and Uncle Chad now?" Lilly pulled on her mom's shirt a little, pointing towards the players on the court.

"Not until after the game is over Hun." Gab smiled back at her little girl.

They arrived at their seats to find they had been seated in the 'family' section. Scattered about were kids, wives, moms, dads, cousins, uncles…the list could go on and on. They found they were actually ON the court, set in extremely comfy chairs, right beside a petite woman with small-thin rimmed glasses and short brown hair. She had a stroller in front of her and she was shushing a small baby to sleep. Gabi was set right beside her, Lilly, then Shar then Tay.

"Hi…I'm Kelsi. You look kinda new around here. Who are you cheering for?" The woman smiled over at Gab.

"My names Gabriella, call me Gabi. I'm here for my boyfriend. We're here to surprise him and my friends boyfriend. They don't know we're here, so we have to hide a little." She shrunk in her seat when she saw Troy go grab a bottle of water.

"Okay Gabi…Who's the boyfriend?"

"Troy Bolton" Gab smiled up at Kelsi who looked very taken back.

"I'm really good friends with Troy, he mentioned a girlfriend. I'm very glad to meet you." Kelsi smiled.

"MOM!" A little girl of about 9 came up. "Can I go buy some candy?"

"Sure…why don't you take…"Kelsi looked over at Gabi.

"Lilly."

"Lilly. She's about your age. Gabi, this is my daughter, Holly." The mini-Kelsi smiled meekly.

"Nice to meet you." Gab turned to Lilly. "Lilly, this is Holly. She's about to go get some candy, you can go with her if you want." She smiled at her daughter and watched as they shyly exchanged greetings and left for the concession stands.

"Maybe they can be friends. Today is actually Lil's birthday. She turns 9."

The two women continued to chat, with Shar and Tay joining in. They were all friends by the time the game started.

BUZZ!! The buzzer sounded, signaling halftime. The Knicks were down by 10 and it wasn't looking very good. Chad and Troy had been playing horribly and the fans were upset and confused. The pair of them had been unstoppable just last week.

"WHAT WAS THAT!?" Ryan screamed the moment they got into the locker room. "My grandmother could play better than some of you, the way you were letting them cream you!!" Ryan may have been friends with most of the boys, but the moment they entered the locker room, it was all business.

"Sir…" A guard walked in. "There's some people here to see you, Bolton and Danforth."

Ryan calmed for a moment, "Come on boys." They all walked outside of the main locker room, into a deserted hallway.

The moment they stepped out, Troy saw Gabi and Lilly, all decked out in Knicks gear. He smiled a mile wide, "GABI! LILLY!" They turned around and ran over to him.

"Ewe…your all sweaty!" Lilly cried as she hugged him.

"I know! What are you girls doing here?" Troy smiled down at them.

Meanwhile, Tay had run over and greeted Chad with a big kiss, "How's my love doing?" He serenaded, hugging her close.

"Not so good because my MAN is LOSING!" Tay hit him on the chest. "Why aren't you winning?!"

"Well…I was worried because you hadn't answered my phone calls and I thought something bad had happened." He put a hand in his afro, something he did when he was nervous or admitting something.

"Awe…that's sweet of you." She pecked his cheek. "BUT…when you go back out there you need to help WIN the game. FOR ME" She smiled cheekily before kissing him again.

"Wow…all that for me? I feel special." Troy leaned down and kissed Gab sweetly on the lips, before pulling away to a bunch of awe's. Everyone had joined together from their little groups and had begun to watch the couple flirt the past minute.

"So…are there any other surprises?" Chad wiggled his eyebrows and put out a pout.

"Well…" Shar looked at Ryan who shook his head and smiled. "You guys are having Thanksgiving with us!"

"WHAT!?" Chad and Troy busted out.

Ryan smiled smugly, "Yeah…see you've been dreading a weekends worth of practice for nothing."

Troy and Chad smiled, and each hugged their woman tightly.

"Oh, Shar…we have someone for you to meet after the game" Chad winked.

She just smiled and sighed, "Oh boy, I'm very scared."

"Guys…we have to get back, the games about to start up again." Ryan announced.

All the couples kissed and hugged a minute more before they separated, the friends or child in this case wished them well with a hug and headed back out to the stands.

The guys walked back into the locker room, heading for the court.

Chad spoke up before they were out, "That was the greatest halftime…EVER!"

"I agree" Troy replied and smiled, as they stepped back onto the court.

"THE KNICKS WIN! With a crazy last minute shot by Chad Danforth, they came back and won the game!" The announcer screamed as the crowd, adults and children alike jumped up and down, hugging one another in the wake of their victory.

Troy came running over and picked up Lilly, "We won Lil! We won!" He did a mini-dance with her before bluntly pulling Gab to his chest.

"Sir, I don't kiss random strangers." She smiled wickedly up at him

"Well…I do my dear." He pulled her up to him, kissing her with the happiness and passion he felt right after the big win.

"Look at those two." Gabriella pointed over to Chad and Taylor who were all but ripping each other's lips off in a very heated kiss.

"Who knew Chad had it in him?" Troy smiled and threw an arm around her.

Lilly ran over with Holly at her side, "Momma, what are we doing for my birthday tonight? If we have a party can Holly come?" Lilly's big brown eyes stared up at her mom.

"Well…it's a surprise, but I'll talk with Holly's mom and see if she can come." The two little girls smiled and ran off to Shar.

"What have you got planned?" Troy questioned.

"I have no idea. Ryan and Shar did all the planning. It's going to be just as much of a surprise to you as it is to me." Gab sighed and leaned into him.

"I love you." He looked down at her, thinking she looked beautiful even is she wasn't trying.

"I love you too…my superstar."

They smiled and leaned in for another kiss.

**So…REVIEW! **

**Next Chapter: Lilly's party and Thanksgiving!**

**XOXO- Savannah**


	9. Emotions

_**Hey Everyone**__! Thanks so much for the reviews! They mean soo much to me! So…keep them coming! Also if there's anything you want to see…more Chaylor? More of Lilly? More Troyella? Just stick it in your review and I'll make it happen for sure!_

_Okay I have an announcement. I MESSED UP! Eek! Never me right? __**Well…I've been flip-flopping Lilly's age from 7 and 8. To set the record straight, she's 7 turning 8**__. Sorry for any confusion! _

_Okay…so I'm going to set a new system into play, __**for every review I get for a chapter, that will be 250 more words for the next chapter**__!! The base will be 1000 words then every review will bump that number up! See…your review is worth a bunch! I'm going to start doing this because I think it's original. I've never heard of anyone doing this, but if there is EMAIL ME! I really don't want them to think that I'm copying them! So…want longer chapters? Review!_

**Ch.8- Emotions**

_**(The game was at 10am, so its about 12 o'clock now.)**_

**LATER THAT AFTERNOON, **Gab was instructed to take the birthday girl shopping by Chad, who had handed her two hundred dollar bills and told her to let Lilly get whatever she liked. So now, Lilly was gazing from aisle to aisle in Toys R Us while Troy and Gabi stood beside each other and smiled over at her.

"She's really something else, you know? Your very lucky to have her." Troy stated as he pulled Gab closer to his side.

"**We're** lucky to have her, you mean?" Gab looked up at Troy with serious eyes.

He smiled wide, "We're…I like the sound of that."

_That's what you get when you let your heart win. Whoa!  
That's what you get when you let your heart win. Whoa...  
_

"Hello?" Gab answered her phone with a smile

"Hey Girl, we have a place for you to meet us. Bring birthday girl to the Phoenix Mall, it's near the hotel." Tay called through the phone.

"What store?"

"We'll find you, don't worry. BAM! Oops, Chad just dropped a table on his foot. I have to go!" Tay hung up before Gabi could get out another word.

"What was that about?" Troy glanced around, checking on Lilly and spotted her with the Barbie dolls.

"Tay told us to go to the mall near the hotel for Lil's party, but she wouldn't say what store!" Gabriella huffed and laid her head on Troy's sturdy chest.

He smiled down at her, "You never know with the Evans twins, they could have elephants and giraffes for all we know!"

They both laughed as Lilly came back over with a buggie full of Barbie dolls, accessories, a basketball and a HUGE teddy bear.

"I'm finished!" She announced happily.

"Wow…you're going to have tons of fun, aren't you?" Troy stated, pushing the buggie towards checkout.

"Oh yeah! Plus I got a new basketball, which will totally help my game!" Lilly replied.

"Totally help your game? Who are you and what have you done with my daughter?" Gab made a crazy face, which sent them all three roaring into laughter.

"Uncle Chad taught me to say that, plus I heard Uncle Troy say it a bunch." The checker began to scan their purchases as the mother gave the basketball player a fake glare.

"Teaching my child weird lingo, eh? I'll show you!" She walked over and leaned millimeters away from his lips, then pulled away with a smug smile. "Ha-ha!"

The total rang up at 153.76, so Gabi handed over the money, received her change and the threesome made their way back to the awaiting limo.

"I ride in style, Miss Montez" Troy finished loading up the toys and smirked over at Gabriella.

"You call this style? My grandmothers VW looks better than this!" She laughed and hopped inside with Lilly.

"That hurt, Montez, right here." Troy placed a hand over his heart as he slipped inside as well.

"Oh boo-hoo…cry me a river!" Gab laughed and buckled up.

"Where to Mr. Bolton?" The driver quickly asked, trying to get them on the road.

"The Phoenix Mall, near the hotel." Troy coolly replied, leaning back and enjoying the ride.

Gab inched her way over to Troy, who had his eyes closed, and leaned her head on his shoulder. He smiled and laid an arm around her, pulling her near.

Lilly had been watching the scene unfold when she thought of what Lana said.

"Lana came to see me again." Both adults eyes flung open and they sat up straight.

"W-What?" Troy choked out, emotion flooding his veins.

"Lana told me to pass on to you that you have to let your guilt and the hatred towards your dad go before she can pass on to the big gates." Lilly gazed into Troy's eyes as she spoke.

"This is crazy. My daughter wasn't old enough to talk when she…" He paused, fighting tears, "was killed. How can you talk with her if she can't talk?" Troy finished, slightly angry and hurt.

"Troy…" Gabi interjected.

"No Gabriella…this is her battle" He silenced her and waited for Lilly to continue.

" She's grown up in Heaven. She's 10 years old now. You really should listen to me. If you do this, she'll be able to rest in peace."

The car came to a stop and Troy jumped out of his seat and paced out into the middle of the parking lot.

He was fuming, his heart was hurting and his mind was spinning. He didn't want to be mad, he really didn't, but she was crossing the line. Crossing the line of toying with his emotions, and he wasn't going to let her.

Gabi walked over, "Are you coming in?" She softly asked, like he was a ticking time bomb.

"I really don't know. Why is she doing this? My emotions are not child's play and neither is the death of my daughter, Gabriella." He looked deep into her eyes and she saw the scared and confused man.

"She thinks she's helping. She's only a child, but you should take her words in mind at least. She's helped people before…" She trailed off. "Just come on and leave it for now." She tugged on his hand, which she had laced with her own.

"Fine…but this isn't over." Troy stated and they walked back over to Lilly.

"Okay…Lilly no more talk of that alright? Be 7 for a change!" They all laughed slightly, the air clearing a little.

Walking inside, they noticed that it was pitch-black.

"What the…." Troy stated but he was interrupted.

"SURPRISE!" The lights switched on, and a child's dream lay in front of them.

All the stores the kids liked had tables where you could receive free gifts, big inflated castles in pink were scattered about the area. Candy, popcorn, sodas, cake, cookies, and every other crazy junk food was setting out on a large table, not to mention all the rainbow balloons and streamers hung everywhere.

In the middle of the room stood a group of kids, which she recognized as Lilly's friends. The little girl quickly left the adults to stand by her friends.

"Okay Lilly, this is all for you! So…you have a great time alright?!" Shar exclaimed before all the kids ran off in different directions.

"Shar, how in the WORLD did you rent the ENTIRE mall for this afternoon?" Gab questioned the minute she was in talking distance with the ecstatic blonde.

"I have my ways…" She smiled before continuing, "AKA Chad, Zeke and Jason signed a whole bunch of basketballs for the mall and they fell to our feet. That was the first half of the payment. The next is that Troy here has to sign some jersey's and we are even with the mall."

"Wow…that's pretty amazing! Thank-you so much for everything. I really appreciate it." Gab hugged Shar, squeezing her extra tight.

"It was nothing. I mean…I had great help." She smiled at the group of adults that sat chatting over to the side.

"Well…let's go have some fun with these kids then!" Gab exclaimed and pulled Troy along behind her and Shar, ready to have a great time.

**SIX HOURS LATER, **The party was long over, the mall cleaned, the toys put in everyone's cars, and the journey back to Albuquerque had been going on for about three hours. It was nearly 6 o'clock and they wouldn't be home for another five hours.

Leading the front of the pack was Ryan's land barge of a truck, that was hauling Ryan, Chad, Troy, Zeke, and Tay. Shar's Jeep was next in line, hauling Shar, Gabi, and Lilly. In the last spot was Kelsi's minivan carrying Jason, Kelsi, Holly and the baby, Rachel.

Lilly had fallen asleep five minutes into the ride, so Shar's car was extremely quiet, except for the roar of the motor and the crunch of gravel under the tires.

"What's the matter with you? You look like someone died." Shar quietly spoke to a glum Gabi.

"Lilly told Troy she talked with Lana again, and he got all mad. He's furious at the pair of us I'm afraid." She spoke quietly, picking at her nails and hugging her knees.

"Oh Gab…I'm so sorry. But…do you really think he's THAT mad? She's just a little girl with a wild imagination."

"That's the thing Shar…I don't think it's her imagination. How else would she know about Troy's daughter before anyone else?" Gabi's thoughts were racing, her mind out of control with outrageous thoughts.

"I don't know…I just don't know. What I DO know is that Troy loves the two of you and nothing can change that." Shar made her voice strong and full of inspiration, hoping to uplift her friend out of the slums.

"Your right." She slipped up in her seat. "I'm positive Troy won't let this hinder our relationship." She smiled ever so slightly.

**This was a filler with no real importance…I just wanted to post this before I leave 4 3 weeks…the next chapter will be Thanksgiving and some other fun stuff!! ****J**


	10. Laughter For Everyone

Okay…The reviews are soo wonderful! Thank you soo very much for all your support. It makes me thrive and want to make my story the best it can be!

So.. at this time the story has 7 reviews for the previous chapter which equals out to be 1750 more words on top of the base 1000! 2750 words!! This is going to be a long chapter for sure!

I have a favor to ask of you all. In your next review answer _this question_..

**Which story should I update next of my other stories? Or do you want something fresh and new??**

I'll take in all your thoughts and try to accommodate your wishes ASAP!

**CH.9- Laughter For Everyone**

**EARLY THURSDAY MORNING**, Gabi woke up to someone slightly shaking her. She grumbled in protest before slowly opening her eyes. Staring back at her was a very blonde and bright Sharpay, who was wearing a Juicy Contour red jogging outfit with her hair lying neatly on her shoulders.

"Gabs, I need you to come help me. You don't have to dress up or anything…I just need your help." Shar quietly begged, flashing her pleading eyes.

"Sure Shar, just give me a few minutes to get some decent clothes on and I'll be down." Gab sat up and rubbed at her eyes.

"Tay brought over a turkey that she let de-frost overnight, so she'll be downstairs too, just come down whenever." Shar smiled at her friend before quietly exiting out the doorway.

Gabriella threw her legs off the side of the bed and stepped over to sit in front of her vanity. She sighed softly seeing the picture of Troy, Lilly and herself from their first trip to New York.

Only thoughts of Troy ran through her mind as she finished getting herself ready for the day…

_**WITH TROY**_

**12 O'CLOCK **couldn't come fast enough for Troy; that was the time they were planning to leave the hotel and go over to Sharpay's for Thanksgiving dinner. The guys, including himself, had been overly thrilled to hear of this new update, since they had all thought they would be stuck another year eating gross take-out for Thanksgiving, on a plane heading for New York.

His watch read 11:49 when he left his bedroom and walked next door to see Ryan.

He knocked on the door, which was quickly opened to reveal Ryan wearing blue jeans, a long sleeve gray sweatshirt and some Nikes.

"Hey Man! You all set to go see your woman huh?" He laughed at Troy's apple red face before stepping back inside his room. "Let me get my wallet and keys then we'll head on over. That is if Chad isn't still tied to his bed!" They both laughed.

"Hey Ryan…can I ask you a question? You seem like one of my more intelligent friends." He began, seating himself on the end of the king-size bed.

Ry called back from the bathroom, "Glad to hear it bud. What's your problem? I'm all ears!"

"You see….."

"Nieta, would you sit down please? You're making me nervous…" Katie Montez wore a half-amused, half-worried look as she steadily watched the young woman she thought of as her granddaughter anxiously pace the room.

"I'm sorry Abuelita, I'm just so scared that Troy's not going to come or not speak with me because of the other day." Gab had fully informed Katie of everything that had happened during her stay in Phoenix and of her thoughts about Lilly's 'visits' from Lana, who was finally ready to settle Gabi's fear once and for all.

"Gabriella, come sit with me." She patted the space beside her on Shar's couch.

Gabi obeyed, gently taking a seat and angling herself towards her grandmother.

"For many generations in my family there have been certain members who have been blessed with a profound gifts. Many had visions and could see into the future. Many were given the ability to achieve more than most…and select few could see and speak with those no longer with us, better known as angels…" She paused. "I have the gift of visions and have often known what you would be doing before you did it. Lilly's gift is so special and deserves to be acknowledged for the great thing it is. I will talk with Troy and try to explain it to him"

Gab's mouth couldn't have been much wider if it was Niagara Falls, "Why haven't you told me about all this before?"

"I had a vision about telling you in this spot 5 months ago, so I waited to make my vision come true."

Gab nodded her head, "Did Tony have a gift?"

"Just the gift to love with all his heart. I should also tell you that I think Tony would be thrilled that you are happy again." Katie smiled and the two women embraced.

"Now let's go check on Sharpay and make sure she isn't burning our dinner."

_**30 MINUTES LATER**_

**Knock! Knock!**

The door to the 2-story mansion swung open to reveal an aging woman in her early 70's, a huge grin on her face as she greeted all the men on the doorstep.

"Hello there men, I'm Katie Montez, Gabriella's grandmother. Who may you all be?"

Troy spoke up, feeling it was his duty since this was basically Gab's mother, "I'm Troy Bolton, Ms. Montez. This is Chad Danforth, Zeke Baylor, Jason and Kelsi Cross and their two children, Holly and the baby, Rachel." He smiled his 1000-watt smile in hopes of making a great impression.

Everyone said hello and smiled at Katie.

"Well…it's nice to meet you all." She smiled and opened the door up far enough for everyone to flood inside.

"Young Man…" Katie stopped Troy and pulled him beside her. "We need to talk."

_**LATER THAT EVENING- 5PM**_

The past few hours every board game, sports channel, old-time movie, chick-flick and worst date in the history of everyone's lives had been played, told or watched.

The large house was full of warm air, yummy scents and overflowing with love and holiday cheer. Gabi and Troy had barely spoken to one another because of all the chaos, so when Gabriella excused herself to upstairs, Troy took this as a great opportunity to have the serious talk he had been hoping to have for some time now.

Stealthily, the young blue-eyed man pounced up the stairs and started looking for open doors or some hint of which room Gabi was in.

The last door on his left was slightly ajar, so he peeped inside to a sight that made his heart squeeze tightly in his chest.

Gabi sat on the end of her bed, tears freely falling down her face and her head turned up to the ceiling, "Why God? Why did you have to make him hate me because of my daughter?! I love him but he hates me now…I mean he's barely even spoken to me yet, much less showing any sign of moving here or marrying me or anything. I just want him to speak to me and to love me. MAKE HIM LOVE ME GOD!" She cried harder and fell down on her bed in the fetal position.

Now…right about now, most people would think Gabriella was an oversensitive drama queen who needed to get her act together. But to those who know her, like Troy, they see the broken woman who's still hurt from the deaths of her parents and husband. She just wants to be loved and know that not all good things come to an end. She needs that love from a man, that Lilly and her friends just can't give her.

So…Troy gingerly pried the door open wider, walked over to the bed and scooped Gabriella up into his arms, "You don't need to ask God to make me love you. I already do." He leaned down and took her lips with his own, proving his love.

He could taste the salty tears and felt the tension melt from her body as he slowly laid her back on the bed.

She pulled away, " Did you hear all of that?" Red, puffy eyes stared back into Troy's crystal lakes.

"Most of it…Gabriella, do you really think that after these few months that I could just hate you? Just because of Lilly?" It stung at his very core, but it was needed question.

She simply nodded and stared at her hands.

"Baby, I love you soo much. I love you, your amazing daughter, your crazy grandmother, your silly two best friends, and everything else in your life. I love how when your happy, you crinkle your nose up and smile, and the way you bite your bottom lip when your nervous or thinking hard. There's nothing about you I don't love and nothing can possibly change my mind." Troy simply smiled at a teary-eyed Gabriella.

"That's one of the sweetest things anyone has ever told me. I love you too…even your goofy macho ways." She giggled.

"Macho eh?" He gave her a mischievous smile before attacking her side, making her squirm and laugh loudly.

"T-TR-ROY!" She screamed and laughed harder, "STOP I-IT!"

He had been laughing along with her, "You have to tell me you'll spend the entire day with me tomorrow!"

"OKAY I WILL!" He stopped and hugged her tightly.

She smiled and pecked his cheek, "Let me fix my make-up and we can go back down. They are probably curious where we are." She hopped up and he stayed seated on the edge of the bed.

"Step 1 Complete, Ms Katie." He whispered to himself.

Once Troy and Gabi returned to the group, it wasn't long before the enormous Thanksgiving dinner was served.

Sharpay, Taylor, Katie, Kelsi, and Gabriella had all come together and prepared a feast fit for royalty.

At one end of the table lay bowls of deep-colored cranberry sauce, tins full of crispy stuffing and rich sweet potatoes. There was fruit salad, pasta salad, potato salad, green salad, even bean salad. In the center was the main prize, the golden-browned cooked-to-perfection turkey in all its glory. You could continue on for miles it seemed with all the food that was prepared on the table.

"Good-Gracious Girls! Are we feeding a nation or what?" Chad called down to all the ladies.

"Oh hush up! You know your soo excited you might wet yourself!" Tay fired back as everyone laughed heartily.

"Okay…so every year for some time now, we've made it a tradition to tell of one great thing that has happened to us before we eat. We'd be overjoyed if you all would join us." Katie explained and looked from face to face.

"We'd be delighted Ms. Katie." Troy stated and saw his friends nod in agreement.

"My birthday party is the greatest thing from this year!" Lilly exclaimed, smiling from her seat between Sharpay and Taylor.

"The greatest thing this year was having Rachel." Kelsi piped up.

"Finally getting my dream sports car" Jason spoke, pecking Kels's cheek.

"Troy saving Lilly from our burning house." Gabriella gazed into Troy's eyes.

"Getting engaged to Chad." Taylor blushed as all the girls screamed,

"WHAT?!"

"10 minutes ago, you missed it!" Tay stated and smiled at all the gaping girls.

"Let's continue then you can tell us the story, Taylor Francesca!" Katie smiled and pointed a finger in her face.

"My new house in Albuquerque." Chad surprised all the occupants of the table, including his new fiancée.

"When did you buy a house?" Tay quickly questioned.

"Earlier this morning, just before we came over here, that's why we were late. I had been out signing the papers." He smiled triumphantly.

Chad and Taylor quickly kissed before the group continued.

"The greatest thing that happened to me this year has got to be signing the papers to open my own restaurant in New York." Zeke laughed as his best friends made google eyes.

"I finished writing my book and it's going to be published next summer, so that has to be the greatest thing for me." Katie's smile radiated across the room.

"I made the winning basket at my district semi-final game!" Holly giggled as she gave her dad a high-five.

"The best thing for me….has to be finally learning how to roll rose pedals!" Shar laughed at the girls inside joke.

"Well…the greatest thing that has happened to me isn't anything you can buy. The greatest thing that has happened to me is Gabriella. I love you, Gabi." He smiled at her tear-filled eyes.

All the women at the table dabbed at their eyes and smiled at the couple, who only had eyes for each other.

"This has been on heck of a session and I don't think we've had more surprises than this year so before we can tell anymore, LETS EAT!" Katie announced, much to the men's delight as everyone started filling their plates and passing dishes around.

_**MIDNIGHT**_

Cuddling in front of the blazing fire lay Troy and Gabi plus Chad and Taylor. The two couples were quietly discussing their plans for the next day, or so it seemed.

Sharpay had just sat on the couch when Zeke walked in and sat down beside her.

"That food was amazing. This has got to have been the best Thanksgiving I've has since I was a kid." Zeke smiled over at a blushing Shar.

"Thanks. All the other girls were a big help too, plus Ms. Katie. She was commander-in-chief." They both laughed lightly.

"So, you work with Gabriella and Taylor at the flower shop right?"

She nodded, "It's one of my passions. My main passion is cooking really. I just love to get in the kitchen and experiment, working hard to make the perfect meal, you know?"

"Really? I love to cook myself, that's why I'm trying to open a restaurant so when I retire I'll have a job to occupy my time."

"That's so amazing! What I would give to help run a restaurant or café, just where I could cook and have a great time!" Shar was soo excited to be able to talk with someone who shared her passion.

The pair continued to happily chat for another 10 minutes about their love for cooking.

"Sharpay, what would you say if I offered you a job in New York as co-owner of my new restaurant?" Zeke smiled widely as he spoke, watching as Shar's mouth hung open.

"Omigosh! I don't know! I've never lived outside of Albuquerque and most of my friends and family live here! EEK!"

"Just know the offers always there. In the mean time, how about a date tomorrow at lunch? Maybe a movie too?" He glanced hopefully in her direction.

"I'd love to." She smiled and leaned over, brushing her lips on his cheek.

"Dude…I can't believe your getting married. So, your sure it won't be like before??" Troy quietly questioned his friend as the girls chatted away about weddings.

"Troy, don't talk about it!" Chad scolded, looking over to make sure Tay hadn't heard.

"Wait! You haven't told her about Jasmine? Bad move man, soo very bad." Troy shook his head for effect.

"I will before we get married. I just…I didn't want to ruin what we have, you know?" The newly engaged man gazed lovingly at his new fiancée.

"Okay, just be careful not to screw up and wait too long okay? I don't want anything wrong to happen."

Chad and Troy did their man-shake then scooted over to snuggle with their girls.

Troy lightly kissed Gab's head, "Hey babe…what are we going to do tomorrow?"

"Hmmm….well…" She glanced over at Tay. " I was wondering if Tay and Chad could tag along and we could go shopping for their new house and wedding? You see…I'm helping her plan the wedding, basically I'm the wedding planner." She smiled her most convincing smile, hoping he would let her have her way.

"That's fine, but it's just you and me after 5 o'clock alright? I want to go out together and maybe catch a movie or something." Troy inwardly smiled and hoped his plan could continue to work.

"Sounds great! So, are you going to stay here with me tonight?"

He wriggled his eyebrows and smiled, "Well you know I did bring handcuffs…"

"Oh don't think like that you bad man! I just meant to sleep here that way we could get an early start in the morning!" She smacked him lightly on his bicep.

"What about clothes?"  
"You have some here that I bought you. They were on sale and I just couldn't pass up the deal." They all laughed at her.

"Underwear?"

"They were on sale too." More laughs from Tay and Chad.

"Socks?"  
"Yep…"

"Dang woman, was everything on sale?" Troy smiled a mile wide, laughing as he did so.

"Basically.." They couldn't take it anymore, and all began laughing soo hard they were rolling around on the floor.

**A**/**U: So…What does Shopping+Troyella and Chaylor? It 's CUTENESS! Hehe…**

**REVIEW For Longer Chapter!!**


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